Row brewing over Indonesia's 'death zoo'

A MALE giraffe died an agonising death at Indonesia's Surabaya Zoo with 20 kg of plastic found in his stomach, in 2012. Three months later, a 30-year-old female elephant died after living with a broken leg for two years.

So far this year, six animals have died at Indonesia's largest zoo, in East Java province, including a protected 3-year-old Komodo dragon and an African lion called Michael, found with his head caught in a cable in his enclosure.

Following animal deaths that go back to 2010, the most recent incidents have reinforced the park's reputation as a "zoo of death."

The tragic stories have triggered public anger, allegations of corruption, and even drawn a possible presidential candidate into the controversy.

"Mismanagement at Surabaya Zoo has gone on for too long and the animals are suffering," said Rosek Nursahid, head of the conservation group ProFauna Indonesia.

Conservationists blame the mess on a long-running power struggle within a local wildlife conservation foundation that manages the zoo, as well as funding problems.

More than 75,000 people have signed an online petition to demand the government take action to save the animals at the zoo, which was built in 1916 by Dutch colonisers.

The city administration took over the management of the zoo in July from a team of experts and conservationists, but animals continued to die.

At least 30 animals died between October and December last year, including newly born and older animals.

"The quality of animal welfare has been very low," Nursahid said.

"Enclosures are too small and unsafe for different species."

According to the city government, the zoo is home to more than 2800 animals of more than 350 species, the most complete collection in Southeast Asia.

Last month, Mayor Tri Rismaharini submitted documents to the Corruption Eradication Commission and urged it to investigate possible involvement of some zoo caretakers in the illegal trade of protected animals.

Tony Sumampau, head of the caretaker management team, said all animal transfers were legal and accused the mayor of trying to find a scapegoat for the zoo's problems, as well as courting public opinion.

Rismaharini has been touted by the local media as a potential presidential contender in elections in July.

But she has come under pressure from the current president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who urged the city administration to take action.

Sonny Partono, director of conservation and forest protection at the Forestry Ministry, said the zoo had undertaken animal transfers to other conservation centres to reduce overpopulation.

"There was a surplus, so some animals had to be moved," he said.

"Animals were cramped in small enclosures and some died because of fighting."

But even these efforts to improve conditions have come under suspicion.

The zoo's own operational director, Liang Kaspe, alleged that protected and rare species were replaced by non-protected ones.

"If there had been overpopulation, they should have expanded the zoo and enlarged enclosures because there are still empty spaces," she said.

Last month, pictures of zoo animals in sorry conditions which first appeared in a British newspaper, went viral on social media in Indonesia, putting the Surabaya mayor further on the defensive.

Rismaharini said the photos were taken before her administration took over the zoo management, but pledged to improve water management, expand enclosures and convert some parking space to animal accommodation.

She said her administration had spent 54 billion rupiah ($A4.94 million) to revamp the zoo and would spend another 15 billion rupiah to build more animal enclosures.

"The city administration will manage the zoo professionally and take necessary steps to improve it," she was quoted as saying by the state news agency Antara.